How
to Create the Compelling Consumer Experience
There are four basic principles that could help you
in creating a compelling consumer experience:-
Offer Consumer Experience where the competition is
service-based and offer Services-as the differentiator
where the competition is product-based.
Technology is making high-quality services replicable,
and the Internet is making many services location-independent.
Together these require services based industries to
compete on consumer experience. In industries like
Professional Services or Hospitality, the competition
is already based on Consumer Experience. (see figure
2)
Some
of the technologies, systems, and tools needed
to support new marketing requirements might
already be pre-existing within the company
and must be identified and leveraged |
Consumer Experience does not work across every industry!
Industries can be classified into various stages of
the value-addition stage. If you are in the product-based
competition stage, compete on a stage above –
the services-based competition; do not go two layers
above – that will simply not work. E.g. businesses
like Business consumables - Maintenance Repairs and
Operations (MRO) supplies where brand recognition
is so low that a consumer experience based strategy
will fall flat on the face. The best thing to do here
is to focus on providing stellar service so that you
are better off from the product-based competitors.
The Indian MRO manufacturer could beat the price-competitive
importers simply by providing better after-sales service.
Aggressively use appropriate technology – particularly
those nobody talks about.
Invest aggressively in creating technology-based superiority
over the competition. Indian companies are way too
behind their global compatriots when it comes to making
technology investment. And when investments are made,
they are done on the spur and not followed through
completely. CRM & data-warehousing technologies
are only as effective as the data used and the function
they are put in. Be sure that your company is in a
position to feed in the data required here before
you deploy these technologies.
Some of the technologies, systems, and tools needed
to support new marketing requirements might already
be pre-existing within the company and must be identified
and leveraged. In many cases, other technologies might
not be in your radar-screen but could be more appropriate
for your requirements. Examples: Campaign management
or relationship optimization systems; customer profitability
systems; predictive modeling tools; personalization
solutions. Find out how optimal these are and use
their ability to leverage the already existing data-points.
Give your consumers the control, simplify their life,
and you will get their admiration.
The power-equation between consumers and brands has
changed forever. Recognize that! Also understand that
they are tired of the zillions of messages they are
bombarded with and the complications of their lives.
To gain their admiration:
* Structure corporate line,
staff, and budgets around consumer segments not consumers
around your product-lines.
* Use all touch points to
talk with consumers. Allow them to interact with you
through whatever medium they prefer – Face-to-face,
Telephone, Internet, or Mobile.
* Allow the prospects the
option to opt-out of the communication process. In
India with our not-so-strong privacy laws, permissions
from targets for inclusion into mailing lists are
rarely taken. Ask for permissions and delight your
prospects who are not used to being asked for permissions.
Shift
focus from selling products to creating offers and
experiences, and engage the consumers in the process.
The product-focussed selling efforts need a makeover.
You can create offers & experiences using the
following methods.
* Create a product-service
hybrid in which the two elements cannot be separated,
and you will make life hard for your competitors.
* Look for ways to involve
the consumer in creating or styling the product.
The information you need to be successful exists
in those discussions.
* Forge two-way relationships
with consumers. Educate them covertly while entertaining
them overtly.
* Think multi-channel –
not point-to-point solution. Remember that the Internet
has taken away the non-repeatability of TV communication.
Design your communication taking the advantages
and limitations of each medium in mind.
* Consider piloting consumer
experience creation on the Internet. Online consumer
experience creating events – like online contests
& games – are easier to create, manage,
and monitor than off-line experiences.
* Take the Events management
approach to creating Consumer experience. Treat
every customer interaction as an event.
Exceptional
service is no longer enough to distinguish your
business from the rest. Remember the coffee bean!
For
more information you can refer to
http://www.GartnerG2.com
or write to Kingshuk at: kingshuk.hazra@gartner.com.
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